Thick gloves and shooting

So I tried my new (used) ikelite housing for my 40d in the pool today. The pool isn't heated and even in socal the water has got to be dipping below 50 f. So I was wearing some thick gloves (7mm) along with far too much neoprene on my core. Anyhow, I noticed I really can't feel the point of focus and/or shooting on the shutter release. Is this normal with thick gloves? Do you just wear to different gloves? or what's your solution to the problem? Thanks

Aaron

Lack of delicate feel is normal for thick gloves.

A possible solution:

-buy a pair of 3mm gloves

-on your thick glove (I assume the right one because the shutter release on most housings is on the right), mark between the base of finger and the first joint out from the base on glove's index finger.

-cut off index finger on the thick glove at the mark (make a careful straight cut)

-cut off one of the fingers on the 3mm gloves at the base so you have plenty of adjustment room (you've have 7 spares to use in the future)

-put on your right thick glove

-do test fits and trims of the 3mm finger until you reach the correct length of the new 3mm replacement

-use wetsuit/neoprene glue to attach the 3mm finger to your thick glove

-allow the glue seam to dry completely

-think about doing some careful surface stitching to keep the nylon facing of each part from pulling the seam apart

Take Care,

ChrisS

PS, I use five-finger 4mm skin-in gloves for all my cold water diving (Monterey, SoCal, and BC); I also dive a dry suit.

I use 5 mm gloves in SoCal. They seem to work fine.

If too cold, (45 or so), then I use dry gloves.

I have a pair of Mares 5mm gloves that have 3mm fingertips. You could wear another thin pair over these with the tips cut off for extra warmth

I am a big fan of the Fourth Element gloves for giving excellent warmth and camera dexterity.

I tend to use the 3mm ones in the UK and the 5mm ones in colder climes. They are super warm - my hands were not cold up in Canada in the 5mm ones - where more other people were using dry gloves. And they are very flexible - making cameras simple to operate.

Alex

Hi Aaron,

I spend at least 5 months of the year diving in water that is less that 10 degrees centigrade!

I use dry gloves mostly, but have used 3 finger mitts, 5mm gloves etc.

I think the key is to "re-educate" your fingers on when the buttons/release are activated. You can do this at home by wearing your thick gloves and working the controls on your camera and housing. Looks a bit strange watching TV, but as long as no-one minds...!

The more comfortable you are with the controls on the surface, the easier the adaption will be to underwater!

As an aside, the more you can wear your wetsuit gloves doing normal things on the surface (again barring funny looks!), the easier these tasks will be underwater.

Adam

I use Waterproof 5mm and find them quite flexible and, of course, warm. You can't really feel the controls that well but as Adam says, with practice, you just get accustomed to using them and you kind of adopt a different touch to compensate. I haven't used 7mms because I find them too thick and rigid. Have you tried 5mms?

I wear a pair of 5mm gloves down to about 50 degrees, any colder and I wear my dry gloves. You are always going to trade dexterity for warmth. What you are experiencing is normal.

Thanks for all the suggestions. My ikelite housing shutting release spring is VERY sensitive which may be part of my problem. Being as delicate as possible with those thick gloves, it is still easy to skip right past the autofocus depression and straight to firing the shutter. I think I'll take it out in the pool again this week with some of my thinner gloves and see how things go. That and bring my drysuit, it was really chilly last time with 14mm over my core. I sure got some funny looks from some passers by as they saw me getting into an apt complex pool with a bunch of gear on.

aaron

Thanks for all the suggestions. My ikelite housing shutting release spring is VERY sensitive which may be part of my problem. Being as delicate as possible with those thick gloves, it is still easy to skip right past the autofocus depression and straight to firing the shutter. I think I'll take it out in the pool again this week with some of my thinner gloves and see how things go. That and bring my drysuit, it was really chilly last time with 14mm over my core. I sure got some funny looks from some passers by as they saw me getting into an apt complex pool with a bunch of gear on.

 

aaron

Are you focusing with the shutter release or the AF On button? Using the AF On button on the back will let you focus and shoot when ready.

I am a big fan of the Fourth Element gloves for giving excellent warmth and camera dexterity.

 

I tend to use the 3mm ones in the UK and the 5mm ones in colder climes. They are super warm - my hands were not cold up in Canada in the 5mm ones - where more other people were using dry gloves. And they are very flexible - making cameras simple to operate.

 

Alex

Alex, at what temperature do you use the 3mm gloves in UK?

The fourth element looks like a good option but I need to decide between 3mm and 5mm.

I know that the rest of the thermal protection must be taken into account, with a Pinnacle merino undergarment, 7mm Pinnacle merino hood and very thick socks I have more than enough protection for the temperatures between 10 to 13ºC here.

Are you focusing with the shutter release or the AF On button? Using the AF On button on the back will let you focus and shoot when ready.

Well I was actually using the shutter release instead of the AF button. I'll try using the AF next time instead. I'm so used to using my camera topside I'll have to learn some new techniques. I'm getting a used ds 125, arms and sinc chord soon, so I'll have quite a bit to fiddle around with. Oh, and I'm leaving for moorea french polynesia for research here in less than 2 weeks...we'll see what kind of success I have there.

Well I was actually using the shutter release instead of the AF button. I'll try using the AF next time instead. I'm so used to using my camera topside I'll have to learn some new techniques. I'm getting a used ds 125, arms and sinc chord soon, so I'll have quite a bit to fiddle around with. Oh, and I'm leaving for moorea french polynesia for research here in less than 2 weeks...we'll see what kind of success I have there.

I use the AF-On, or star button, on the back of my cameras topside as well as underwater for the same reasons. The advantage underwater obviously is that you don't run any danger of tripping the shutter while focusing. Good luck!